Mike,
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Segway's would be excellent in the city, if everyone uses their side-walk key. You would be keeping with the natural flow of traffic. You wouldn't be moving so fast that if yourself and another person were turning a corner of a building that you might be able to avoid each other, or wost case have a collision that doesn't send someone to the hospital. In this scenario, the Segway truly is the Human Transporter.
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You make mention of people using the "sidewalk" key. Really? i never was instructed that i had a sidewalk key, i go the speed of traffic, even if i am on my "too fast for sidewalks" key. People who own high-end sports cars have the capability of going 150mph on the highway. Do they? Nope. In a group of pedestrians, you slow down to match their speed. If you get a chance to pass, you cruise on by. Courtesy is the key.
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Many devices have the potential to operate at walking speeds, but if they have the potential of moving fast they're usually black-listed from city sidewalks (mopeds, motor scooters, ATVs, Go-Karts, motorcycles, bicycles).
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you make mention of devices in this list such as ATVs, Go-Karts, and Motorcycles - in this instance, i completely agree with you, they have no place on sidewalks. They are large, noisy, have poor performance in tight areas along with many other downfalls. Keep these devices off the sidewalks.
The mopeds and motor scooters have the potential of going 25+ mph, these devices belong on the roads. The performance of these vehicles is such that you CAN go 5 mph on them, which would fit in with traffic. In the event of a sudden stop, i can gurantee you the segway can stop faster than any of these devices, as well as being able to turn in place.
In fact, say i were a jogger, jogging along at 6-7 mph, a fairly normal jogging pace- by no means a sprint. A pedestrian steps out of a store a few feet in front me, not enough stopping time and i collide. So? just like the segway i woud bounce off the pedestrian with no harm done. In fact, if i were on the segway the collision probably would not have happened, as the stopping distances are much shorter.
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However, if the group name was "transportation devices that can operate at faster than walking speeds", the Segway would have to be included.
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Lets outlaw people from running on our sidewalks. In fact, anyone that walks faster than the old lady on the corner has to use the street also. I can't remember the last time i saw a sidewalk here in Worcester that was so clogged a segway wouldn't fit.. Same case with the many times I've been in Boston. Segways have their place. Don't think everyone arbitrarily zips around at 12mph just cause it is the max speed.